


What Are Friends For?

by prettycheese21



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Supernatural, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Crossover, Dean is a Little Shit, Dean is a flirt, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, He needs to be stopped, Hurt Dean Winchester, Injury, Jealous Steve Rogers, Mission Gone Wrong, Mutual Pining, Natasha Is a Good Bro, Oblivious Reader, Oblivious Steve Rogers, Or at least he tries to, Reader is a Doctor, Reader is so done, Sam Winchester is a Good Bro, Tumblr request, but when isn't he?, request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-26 03:39:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7558699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettycheese21/pseuds/prettycheese21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Friends are supposed to help each other out, push each other to do things they wouldn’t normally do. (Name)’s friends aren’t quite known for doing things “normally”. When her friends Sam, Dean, and Cas show up, (Name) and Steve are forced to confront their feelings when they complicate things between them.<br/>But, hey, what are friends for?</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Are Friends For?

**Author's Note:**

> “Can I ask for a Protective/Possessive/Jealous!Steve/Reader oneshot featuring Team Free Will? Reader (the heroes’ resident doc) thinks her feelings for Steve is onesided, but when a mission intersects with the hunters’ latest case, everything comes to light. The reader is friends with TFW, Dean likes to flirt with her to fluster her, Steve knows she used to like Sam, and she like to cuddle with Cas (in an effort to keep Steve out of her mind).” - Anon
> 
> This was fun to write, though it did give me a bit of writer's block at first.  
> I'm starting a Health Class next week so my writing time is going to get cut down a bit, so things may be posted slower if you request things.  
> Enjoy!

   (Name) knew she shouldn’t be staring at Steve, but she couldn’t help herself. He just looked so… adorable when he was trying to formulate a mission plan. Why she thought the hulking six foot super soldier was adorable when he had his ‘Grrr’ face on was beyond her. Maybe it had something to do with her being hopelessly head over heels for the blond currently glaring at Tony for making some stupid quip about his team management tactics. If only Steve liked her just as much she liked him…

   Maybe then she could do more than just stare at the man when he wasn’t looking.

   Her phone rang, snapping her out of her daze and drawing all eyes to her. She dug into her pocket and looked at the number that was calling. With sheepish smile, (Name) apologized, “Sorry… I have to take this.” Getting up, she answered her phone as she walked to the edge of the room to allow the others to continue with the mission planning. “Hello?”

   “ _Hey_ , (Name),” came Sam’s voice through the other end. “ _Is this a bad time_?”

   “Well, it’s not exactly a great time, but since I’ve already answered the phone, you might as well tell me why you called,” she answered with a small smile on her face. 

   “ _Alright. Well, I was just calling to see how you were doing. It’s been a while since we’ve gotten to talk. I miss our talks_.”

   “I know, Sam,” she responded, not realizing the name gained the attention of a certain super soldier, “but, we’ve both been busy. You with your work and me with mine. It’s understandable that neither of us is ever available to talk.”

   Steve watched as (Name) conversed on the phone. Not noticing the presence of a certain red headed assassin until she spoke. “God, you’re just as bad as she is,” Natasha muttered as she shook her head.

   “What?” Steve asked, taking his eyes off of (Name) to look at Natasha, a look of confusion on his face. “What’d you say?” Evidently staring at (Name) made his surroundings fade away, made him forget where he was. God, he had it bad. 

   She knowingly smirked, “Nothing. But you are glaring daggers at (Name). Want to talk about that?”

   “What is there to talk about?” It was then (Name)’s light laughter was heard from the other end of the room, a hand coming up to cover her mouth as she continued to talk happily with the person on the other end of the line. The _man_ on the other end of the line. 

   “That,” Natasha said suddenly.

   Steve ripped his gaze away and looked back at Natasha. “What?”

   She smirked. “You’re doing that clenched jaw thing you do when you’re angry. What’s wrong? What did (Name) do to piss you off?”

   “(Name) didn’t do anything. It’s…” he stared off in the direction of (Name)’s excited chatter, her bright smile making his heart palpitate in a way it hadn’t since before he got the serum.

   Natasha’s expression turned into a knowing one as she put the pieces together. “It’s the guy on the other end of the phone, isn’t it?”

   “What? No, of course not. Why would I be upset about that?”

   “You and I both know she used to have a thing for that Sam guy. Whether or not she still does is up for debate, but what isn’t is the fact that you’re head over heels for that girl over there.”

   “And what do you want me to do about that, Natasha?” he asked, an annoyed look on his face. He always hated that Natasha could read him like an open book. It made for an annoyingly open friendship.

   “I want you to stop doubting yourself and go talk to her.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You never know… she may end up liking you back.” Natasha had a hard time keeping her face impassive, considering that she knew how irritatingly infatuated they both were with each other and how stupid they were not to notice. 

   Steve let out a sigh as he turned back to watch (Name), who was now conversing with Clint. Could Steve find it in himself to tell (Name) how he felt before the feelings of jealousy for someone he never met? He figured now wasn’t the time to think about that. They had a mission plan to finalize before they left in the morning. 

   Steve cleared his throat, gaining the group’s attention, “Guys, let’s finish this up. I’d like to get home sooner rather than later.”

*****

   The Avengers arrived at the base in Los Angeles, expecting to head straight to the debriefing (an annoying aspect of working with people in different areas of the US), when a situation arose that they were being forced to address before they continued with their mission. The higher ups said something about it being a matter of national security or whatever. (Name) wasn’t really listening, she was too busy wondering what kind of idiot would break into a secure government facility. 

   “What do you know about these guys?” Clint asked the base supervisor as they walked down the hall toward the interrogation room.

   “There are three of them and they were somehow able to bypass the security system to enter the premises,” the man, Agent Roberts, responded.

   “You mean they didn’t set off any of the alarms?” Tony asked, confused. “How the hell did you even catch them?”

   “Security cameras caught them literally popping into the back storage room,” Agent Roberts told him, rubbing the back of his neck in a rather embarrassed fashion. “Ten years on this job and these enhanced people still surprise me.” He gestured to a close door as they approached it. “They’re in there. Watch yourselves. They don’t seem to be the most cooperative of people.”

   (Name) and Natasha shared a look, nodding as (Name) took the lead, putting one hand on the door handle as she turned back to her teammates. “I’m sure all they need is a woman’s charm to make them come around,” she smirked as she opened the door, ready to seduce their socks off. 

   As soon as she walked in and saw the men sitting at the other end of the table, the sultry smirk fell. It was, instead, replaced by an annoyed glare. Sitting at the other end of the table were Sam, Dean, and Cas, who were looking at (Name) with a mixture of shock and relief. “What the hell are you guys doing here?” (Name) asked her longtime friends.

   “I could ask you the same thing, (Name),” Sam responded. “You work here?”  
(Name) crossed her arms, “Don’t change the subject. Why the hell are you breaking into a secure government facility?”

   Cas merely looked at (Name) in befuddlement, “I thought you were a doctor.”  
“I am,” she replied, “but as you can see, we’re short a few ladies. And, when you have three men stupid enough to break into a heavily guarded facility, all that’s normally needed is an attractive woman or two to get them to talk.”

   Dean smirked at (Name),  "I don’t know, (Name). When you come in here wearing that tight suit, it might be hard for some men to talk.“

   (Name)’s cheeks flamed scarlet as she floundered for a witty response. Dean always did this when she saw him. He’d always flirt her pants off, just trying to get a reaction out of her. And it worked every goddamn time. For someone who was trained to be calm in intense situations, the smooth words from an attractive man still managed to leave her a jumbled mess.

   Luckily, Natasha was a lot more collected than she was. “You know these idiots?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

   (Name) cleared her throat, her cheeks still tinted pink, and answered, “Yeah. These are my friends Sam, Dean, and Cas.” She pointed to each man respectively as Clint poked his head in the door, looking between everyone in confusion.

   “So… you’re not going to seduce them now?” Clint asked, looking confused and slightly disappointed. 

   “We won’t need to,” (Name) told him. “They’re going to talk to me without me having to shoot or seduce them.” She looked directly at the hunters with a stern look that showed she’d give them hell if they didn’t listen. “Right?”

   They all nodded. “We were going to do that anyway,” Dean said, almost sounding like he was defending himself.

   “Uh huh, sure you were.” She pulled out the chair across from them and sat down, leaning back before turning to Clint, “We got this. You can go.”

   Clint groaned in disappointment as he turned around and exited the interrogation room. “Aw, man.”

   (Name), turning back to her friends, said, “Start from the beginning and tell me why the hell you broke in here.”

*****

   The Avengers looked up as the door to the briefing room opened and (Name) entered, followed by Dean, Sam, and Cas. Steve furrowed his brows in confusion as he asked, “What are they doing here?”

   “They can help,” (Name) told him.

   Tony was the one to speak next. “And how are these three idiots going to help us?”

   “They’re tracking the same thing we’re about to take down and they can provide more insight than we currently have.” (Name) nodded at the boys to take over. Sam nodded back to her as he stood up.

   As the younger Winchester stood up to his full height, Tony gaped at him as he muttered, “God, how tall are you?”

   Sam ignored Tony as he began to speak, “My brother and I have been tracking a witch that’s been laying waste to whatever town she’s in. So far, three towns have been struck and it looks like she’s been preparing to do another one.”

   “What do you mean?” Steve asked.

   “There’s been an increase in witch activity in the area; some hexes, some curses, all resulting in severe injury or death. And she’s just getting started.”

   “Do you have a way to stop her?” Clint asked.

   “Depending on how powerful she is, we can probably take her down without the use of heavy duty equipment,” Dean replied. “They’re usually mortal, so a simple gun shot or a stab wound or whatever you guys do should kill her pretty easy.”  
Steve looked taken aback by the blunt comment from the older Winchester.

   “Wait, _kill_ her? We’re not killing anyone,” he stated vehemently. “We’re going to capture her and bring her back to base where she’ll be transported to better equipped facility to serve her time for the crimes she’s committed.”

   Dean scoffed, “Yeah, because your secure facilities have proven to be real secure.”

   “If this is how you operate, I’m not sure I want to work with people like you.”  
Sam gave his brother a look, telling him to back the hell off. He didn’t.“People like me? What do you mean by that?”

   “People who kill just because it’s more convenient.”

   “We don’t exactly have time for diplomacy, _Captain_.” Dean spit out the last word, just trying to get a rise out of the man in front of him.

   “Alright, that’s enough,” (Name) said in a stern voice. “Steve, these are good people. They just… Their line of work is a bit different from ours. It’s kill or be killed. If they don’t take down the monster, innocent people get hurt.”

   “I understand that, (Name),” Steve nodded before arguing, “but what I want them to understand is this isn’t just some monster. This is a human being. We don’t just kill people because it’s easier. That’s not how we work around here.”

   “And I’m sure they understand that. They’ll play nice.” She turned back to the men; Sam and Dean now standing around the table with the rest of the Avengers, while Cas was awkwardly off to the side, watching the conversation with interest. “Right, guys?”

   Sam nodded. When he noticed Dean still giving Steve a hard look, he jabbed his elbow into Dean’s ribs and gave him a hard, slightly exasperated look.

   Dean also nodded, not that he was particularly happy to work on the terms of Mr. Self Righteous Captain America himself. 

   “I’m sure we can make this arrangement work,” Cas responded. “If (Name) trusts you, then so should we. You seem like good people.”

   Steve nodded his thanks before turning back to the rest of the team, “Any objections to them working with us?” Everyone shook their heads. “Good. Let’s get this briefing started. We leave in two hours.”

*****

   (Name) hated this part of the mission. Most missions, she was forced to stay back in the jet with Bruce to keep an eye on things from there. She may have only been a doctor, but she was trained in combat had been involved in her fair share of hunts, making her more than capable of handling herself in the field. 

   Though, if she were being honest, she didn’t mind staying back with Bruce. It’s not like she never saw action. Sometimes, people were stupid enough to try and attack them in the jet, thinking they were vulnerable and could easily get the upper hand. Most of them ended up getting their asses kicked by an ex-hunter turned government agent who was bored out of her mind before they showed up.

   And then there was the occasional injury out in the field that required immediate assistance. Those times always made her blood run a little bit cold. She always worried about what could happen. One slip up in the field, and she could kill them. If she didn’t get there in time, it wouldn’t matter if she messed up on a stitch because they’d be dead before she’d even opened her kit.

   That’s why when she heard Dean’s loud cry of pain through the coms followed by Steve’s shouts for a medic, (Name) nearly threw up as she snatched up her kit and ran out of the jet and onto the battlefield to find her injured friend. Sprinting across the open field, she dodged attacks from the witch and weaved her way through the other fighting Avengers as she made her way toward Dean’s location.

   As soon as she saw him, she knew she was going to have her work cut out for her. In front of her, a large branch was protruding from Dean’s abdomen as he panted, exhausted in his fight against shock. Sam was kneeling next to him, his hands moving in a way that conveyed he didn’t know what to do with them. 

   (Name) kneeled down next to Dean and immediately put her fingers to his neck, taking his pulse. Noticing his breathing was matching the slightly quick pace set by his heart, she determined his airway was intact, as she didn’t see any external injuries other than the branch in his lower abdomen. 

   Taking out a pen light, she began to shine it in his eyes as she asked, “Tell me your full name.”

   “My name is Dean Winchester. I’m an Aquarius. I enjoy sunsets, long walks on the beach, and frisky women,” came Dean’s quiet, strained reply.

   (Name) couldn’t help but crack a smile as she continued to triage his body for other injuries. “I’d say your mental faculties are fine.”

   “Speaking of frisky women, what are you doing later?”

   “Do _not_ flirt with me when I’m trying to save your life!” She put her hand to her ear, engaging her com. “Bruce, I need you to get a chopper and medics. He needs to get out of here sooner rather than later and I can only do so much here. And call ahead back to the Tower and get me some more surgeons on hand. I can’t do this myself. I’m not trained enough for this.”

   “ _On it_ ,” was Bruce’s brief reply.

   “I can heal him, (Name),” Cas said. “Let me heal him.”

   “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Sam stated. At Cas’ confused look, he elaborated, “Your powers have been on the fritz, what with your grace still missing. I don’t want you hurting yourself or Dean because you tried to help him.”

   Cas nodded, though he didn’t like not being able to help. Especially when the situation seemed so dire. But (Name) had it under control. She wouldn’t fail them.

*****

   (Name) emerged from the lab turned makeshift operating room, her pale blue scrubs now decorated with the occasional small spattering of dark red. Running a hand down her face, she turned to see Sam, Cas, and the rest Avengers waiting around in the hallway outside.

   Sam was on her in an instant, quickly asking, “How is he?”

   She let out a tired sigh, “The good news is that he’s going to be fine. We were able to repair the damaged vessels and the branch didn’t hit any major organs.”

   “I assume there’s bad news.” He wrung his hands anxiously.

   “I hope you packed enough clothes because he’s not going anywhere anytime soon.”

   “What do you mean?”

   “Yeah, (Name), what do you mean?” Tony asked. 

   “Dean was just impaled and sustained traumatic internal injuries. I’m sure as hell not letting him leave here until his body is ready. The last time I treated him, he never followed up with a doctor and he let it get infected. So he’s staying here until I say otherwise.”

   “(Name), they can’t stay here,” Steve told her.

   “And why the hell not?” (Name) asked, her arms crossed over her chest. She was exhausted and not wanting to deal with this at all.

   Steve honestly had no idea how to pass this off as anything other than jealousy. He didn’t want these hot men around the girl he loved. Especially when one is a serial flirter, one was mildly attractive, and the other was her ex-crush. He didn’t feel good about having them around. And he hated himself for it. “Well, I… They aren’t employed with SHIELD.”

   (Name)’s face turned into a stoic, blank mask of silent fury. “I don’t know what crawled up your ass and died today, Steve, but I did not spend eight hours in there with three different surgeons trying to fix him only to send him away,” her voice was steady, calm, unlike the anger her body was radiating. “He is my friend. These people are my friends. They are staying whether you like it or not. When you’re done being an ass, come apologize.” She turned to Sam and Cas and grabbed their hands in each of her own. “Come on, guys. I’ll show you where you can stay.” She walked away, daring anyone to argue with her.  
Tony looked like he might say something, but didn’t. No one did. 

   Steve stood in his spot, letting out a sigh as he ran a hand down his face. Natasha walked over as the others began to disperse. “You sure now how to charm the ladies, don’t you?” she joked.

   “I screwed up, didn’t I?” he asked, though he didn’t need her to tell him he did. He already knew.

   “Only a little,” she replied matter-of-factly. “Just give her some time to cool off and decompress before you talk to her. She did just spend all night in surgery trying to save her friend. That tends to take its toll on people.”

   “Yeah, I’ll do that,” he nodded.

   She turned to walk away but stopped, turning around to say one last thing. “Tell her how you feel, Rogers. Or it’ll eat you alive more than it already has.”  
Another sigh escaped him as he wiped a hand down his face. She was right. He had to say something before this jealousy made things even worse. 

*****

   Steve was a pretty calm person. He liked to think himself capable of controlling himself in even the most hostile of situations but the events of the two weeks had him on the verge of exploding in a jealous rage. And he blamed the wily Winchester brothers and their angel companion.

   The easy companionship between (Name) and Sam made Steve’s chest ache. He wanted that easy rapport. He wanted to be able to just sit down and talk to her about everything and anything. He wanted to be able to make her smile the way she smiled at Sam. 

   While he was envious of the emotional connection she had with Sam, it wasn’t like the physical relationship she had with Cas. Steve couldn’t count the number of times he found (Name) and Cas cuddled up on the couch during movie nights with the rest of the team. Why on earth he and Sam were invited to what was supposed to be a _team_ movie night he will never know. Maybe he was just bitter. 

   Though his jealous feelings toward Cas were nothing compared to the animosity he felt toward Dean. Dean’s flirting ways made Steve want to kick his already injured ass. (Name) could be changing his bandages, drawing his blood for an infection check, stopping by for a chat, or even just passing through to check his vitals and Dean would take every opportunity to flirt with her. She was always a good sport about it, but that didn’t make Steve feel any better about it. If Steve openly flirted with her, he’d get his ass handed to him. Or… would he?

   It was all building up to one day at breakfast. As always it was a communal event where everyone came together and chatted before starting their day. Most everyone had already arrived and the food was made and being put on the table so breakfast could start.

   “Where’s (Name)?” Clint asked as he took a sip of his orange juice.

   Bruce looked ready to answer when a distinct female voice answered for him. “I’m right here,” (Name) answered as she turned around the corner, Dean gripping onto her arm as they slowly entered the kitchen. “And I brought a friend.”

   “Dean,” Sam said, shocked, “it’s great to see you up and around.”

   “Yeah, well, my body isn’t exactly enjoying it,” Dean grumbled in reply as he and (Name) approached the table and began the careful process of sitting down in a chair.

   “You have to walk around, Dean. You won’t heal properly if you don’t move around for a little bit each day,” (Name) told him. “We can upgrade your exercise soon so you can get stronger and stop freeloading in my guest room.” She gave him a wink to show she was merely joking, her hand reaching forward to grab a piece of toast.

   A smirk came onto his face as he snatched up a piece of bacon. “You know,

   (Name), I can think of a good upgrade in my exercise.” The blush on her cheeks told Dean that she understood perfectly what he meant. He looked about to say something else when Steve stopped him.

   “You know, that’s no way to treat a lady,” Steve told him, his face hard as he glared at him. “Especially not a lady like (Name).”

   “Whoa, cool your jets, Captain,” Dean chuckled, not at all fazed by the glare being sent at him. “If (Name) doesn’t like it, she’ll tell me to stop.”

   “Seriously, Steve, it’s fine,” (Name) smiled at Steve, trying to soften the hard look on his face. “We’ve been friends for years. It’s just how we are.”

   “We’ve been friends for a long time. Maybe we should have long talks into the night or fall asleep on the couch cuddling. Or maybe I should flirt constantly with you until you kiss me. At least then it’d be clear if you liked me back.” It was the clattering of silverware and assorted gasping and chuckling that made Steve aware of what he’d said. He’d just inadvertently admitted that he liked (Name). This was not how he pictured doing this.

   (Name) gaped at Steve. “You… like me?”

   Cas scratched his head as he whispered to Sam, “That’s what he said?”

   As Sam shushed Cas, Steve cleared his throat. “Y-Yeah, I do. This wasn’t how I wanted you to find out.”

   “At the rate you were going was she ever going to find out?” Dean asked, earning a chuckle from Natasha and snorts from Tony and Clint. (Name) shot Dean a glare, causing him to hold his hands up in a placating manner. “'Kay, I’ll shut up,” he muttered before falling quiet.

   She turned back to Steve, a smile on her face. “You know, you could’ve just told me. That would have been a lot easier and a lot less painful to watch.”

   “Less painful to watch?” Steve’s voice rose up in question, confusion written on his face.

   “The whole pouty _look_ may look sexy but it’s not at all endearing,” she explained. “If you just talked to me, this jealousy could have been avoided.”

   “What are you saying?”

   She stood up from her chair and grabbed the front of Steve’s t-shirt, pulling him towards her and pressing her lips to his. There came scattered cheers and clapping as Steve got over his surprise and responded to the kiss, bringing his hands up to gently cup her face.

   As the pair broke apart, Tony commented, “Didn’t think you had that in you.”

   “Who are you talking to: (Name) or Cap?” Clint asked.

   “What’s the difference?” Dean quipped.

   “The difference is if you get your ass kicked by me or by (Name),” Steve stated. “And despite being your doctor, I’m pretty sure she won’t go easy on you.”

   “That’s not true, Steve,” (Name) began. “I wouldn’t hit his torso. I put that patchwork back together myself, I’m not about to mess that up. But his face is free of injury so I could always aim for that.”

   Dean crossed his arms over his chest, ducking his head down as he mumbled, “Why don’t you go on a date or something, you crazy wackjobs.”

   “Don’t mind if we do.” (Name) looked over to Steve, a big grin on her face, “Shall we?”

   Steve gestured toward the door, “After you.” With that, they both left, arm in arm, laughing all the way at the unexpected turn of events.

   After a moment of brief quiet, Sam spoke, “So… that was an interesting breakfast.”

   “You should’ve seen breakfast last Christmas,” Clint muttered as he scooped up a bite of eggs. Sam waited for more of an explanation, a story, _something_ , but got nothing but silence from Clint as he ate his breakfast. He would’ve questioned it, but thought better of it as he turned back to his pancakes and began to eat.

**Author's Note:**

> Like it? Want more?  
> Let me know by leaving a comment and kudos!
> 
> Want to request something of your own?  
> You can do that in the comments here or on my Tumblr page (@notsoobviousfangirl).
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
